People in the popular holiday region have had to scramble to higher ground as a storm cell dumped more than 100 millimetres of rain, flooding campsites and washing several cars to sea.

Emergency services have defended warning times as locals recover from the record-breaking rains and worst floods in the area since the 1980s.

The Great Ocean Road has reopened to traffic after severe flash flooding on Thursday led to it’s closure between Lorne and Skenes Creek.

As the clean-up continues, communities are grappling with the way forward after devastating flash floods on the Great Ocean ...